Ebay Pulls The Plug On Intent Data Reseller Strategy

Industry sources - and now Ebay itself - confirm that the online marketplace is pulling its intent data which had been for sale through many of the ecosystem's online ad data targeting providers.

In response to a query regarding whether Ebay pulled their data, Ebay spokesperson Johnna Hoff tells AdExchanger.com: “eBay has always been an advocate for online privacy and the protection of customer information. We plan to terminate our agreements with third-party data licensing companies as a reflection of this commitment.”

Sources indicate that this latest change may have as much to do with concerns regarding privacy as it does with internal product "champions" leaving the company and how it fits with the overall strategic direction of the company.

Or, this could be a case of a publisher taking back their data with hopes of finding a better way to monetize it internally.

The timetable for termination of agreements with third-party data resellers varies by providers according to Ebay. The rumor mill suggests that the termination date may be on or around March 31.